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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · perch · patient · rash · wake · ruler · pitcher · arm

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fall — the season
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. perch — the fish
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — to drop
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com